Community Justice

Community justice circle
We are committed to engaging communities and harnessing the power of the justice system to address local problems and improve public safety.

The Center for Court Innovation created the first community court in 1993. Located a short walk from New York City’s Times Square, the Midtown Community Court works with people in the neighborhood to tailor creative responses to local concerns. Since then, we have worked to bring the idea of community justice to other New York City neighborhoods (Red Hook, Harlem, Brownsville, and others), and to jurisdictions around the world that are interested in reinvigorating public trust in justice, reducing the use of incarceration and forging new responses to minor offending. We have also helped launch the Community Court Grant Program, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance.

We have also worked to spread the idea of community justice beyond courts. For example, we have worked with prosecutors to encourage them to not only prosecute cases, but to solve public safety problems, prevent crime, and improve public trust in justice. Rather than simply tallying cases won and sentences imposed, prosecutors should measure the effect of their work on quality of life, community attitudes, and crime. To support such efforts, we work with local prosecutors and national experts such as the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys and Fair and Just Prosecution.

Initiatives

  • Community Court Grant Program

    The Community Court Grant Program seeks to support the creation, enhancement, and evaluation of community-focused courts across the country.

  • Bronx Community Solutions

    Bronx Community Solutions applies a problem-solving approach to cases in the Bronx centralized criminal court, providing judges with community-based alternatives to jail and fines.

  • Brooklyn Young Adult Court

    The Brooklyn Young Adult Court seeks to provide meaningful alternatives to conventional prosecution for young people, ages 18 to 24, charged with misdemeanors.

  • Harlem Community Justice Center

    The Harlem Community Justice Center works to increase housing stability, engage young people in their community, and help individuals returning from prison transition home.

  • International Community Court Conferences

    We host an international conference every two years dedicated to innovations in community justice. Our most recent event took place in Birmingham, Ala., in May 2018.

    Check back for information about our 2020 community justice conference!

  • Mentor Community Courts

    These community courts enhance assistance provided by the Center for Court Innovation by serving as regional resources for jurisdictions looking to implement similar community justice initiatives.

  • Midtown Community Court

    The Midtown Community Court is one of the country's first problem-solving courts. It provides alternatives to fines and jail as a response to low-level crime.

  • Newark Community Solutions

    Newark Community Solutions applies a problem-solving approach to low-level cases in Newark, New Jersey’s municipal courthouse.

  • Red Hook Community Justice Center

    The nation's first multi-jurisdictional community court, the Red Hook Community Justice Center seeks to solve neighborhood problems in southwest Brooklyn.

Publications & Digital Media

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News

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We work with reformers around the world.

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